QLD woes!!

Well the state of Origin II is nearly ready for kick off, but what Sportsmouth has had enough of is the bleating coming from the Qlders!!

After complaining about anything & everything after the first game, they had better find some new excuses after they lose tonight!!!

As soon as Qld lose a series (especially if it's 2 - o) we'll here the following from north of the border, "We don't need to play the third game, what's the point?" (I actually agree with that, but if they're up 2-0 you never hear them complain) & the one I really love "Origin is dead" (if they've gone down three nil).

Lets be honest, the only reason they've won the last two series is because of the following players Darren Lockyer (best in the world, the only current player voted in top 100 of all time) Jonathon Thursten (best halfback since Andrew Johns) Petero Civenociva & Steve Price, two great props who work overtime to cover their teammates mistakes, whilst continuing to shoulder the brunt of all the forwards work!

Why I think NSW will win tonight, well Qld selection is wrong again, and it's across nearly the whole squad, but I'll get into that post game. The backrow for Qld are anonymous on the field giving very little to their side in attack, proving more defensive then offensive!

Score, much the same as the first game, something like 20 to 10

there'll be a wrap tomorrow, where Sportsmouth will explain the selection problems for Qld whilst also comparing the ratings the journos give in the paper to what really happened!!

State of Origin v Teams

This question was raised to sportsmouth by a friend and subsequently the following week was all over the papers, "what to do about the affect the absence of a teams origin stars has on their club teams"?

There have been a few different approaches over the years, but the NRL continues to come back to playing the game mid week, with the selected players not allowed to be involved in the club games preceeding an Origin match. This obviously affects some teams more then others i.e Melb. Storm & the BrisVegas Broncos provide 15 players between them for the next match, thus severely harming their chances of winning the club games that preceed the Origin matches. But does it really effect their finals chances, probably not as if they manage to win one of those games, then it's a bonus, it also gives them a chance to throw some young fringe first grade players into action to see how close they are to making a step up, its actually a tribute to those teams and their coaches that they continue to produce representative players at the rate they do.

The real issue is for the fans, who really wants to pay the price of an over priced ticket to a game where there are none of the teams stars involved? I wouldn't & what they should do is slash the ticket price for games like this, anyway I'm getting away from the original point, sportsmouth is of the opinion that each origin team should be announced on the Sunday following the last game of the round (no monday night footy that weekend) and both teams should do it side by side making a big deal of it, similar to how the yanks show the draft for some of their sports on t.v, then both teams go straight into camp for the rest of the week & play on Friday night, making them available for their club games on the weekend & with some smart organising by the NRL makes sure that teams that are less affected play on the Saturday. Now one argument that'll come out is, it'll cannabalize the crowds for the weekend games, again this is where the fixtures need to be organised properly, make sure that if the Origin was played in Sydney, then the only games played in Sydney that weekend are local derby's held at the local venues, simple really!

A little fore thought from the NRL would solve this issue, although I'm the first to admit the NRL/ARL/NSWRL/QRL have bigger issues to resolve (that's right all those people have a say in the running of the game, its a joke!) its probably lucky at this stage that we don't have more teams privately owned, like English soccor they wouldn't want to let there highly paid stars risk injury in a game that is not for the club!!

That's it for now, if you''ve got a topic you'd like to vent about sport, please feel free to pass it on.

Sportsmouth.

Retirements!

Two very big stories out of golf and tennis, the retirements of Annika Sorenstam and Justine Henin.

Annika Sorenstam has achieved everything in golf and is the greatest female player in history and has sited the reasons for her retiring as wanting to start a family (fair enough) and other business interests, some of which are golf related, so it was not to do with a lack of motivation as she absolutly smacked the field only two weeks ago!

But I can assure you in a couple of years time when she has a two year old running riot and behaving as only two year olds do, that she'll be wishing that she was on the golf course!!

Justine Henin, now this is a more curious retirement, as she is clearly the best player in the world at the moment and still only 25 years old, but has yet to win Wimbledon, which would give her a career slam, so you would think that would provide some serious motivation!

Anyway good luck to them.

U.S golf coverage

This is something that has bugged me for a long time and it's something i just can't get over!

Coverage by whichever US TV station has the rights to the PGA Tour is well......shithouse!!! Its great if you want to see every shot that Tiger plays or which ever American player is in contention, but try and find some footage of an international player! Unless they're racing up the leaderboard or winning, its hard to find, but that's not the real problem for me....

The real problem is, Sportsmouth is not remotely interested in looking at coverage of the fauna and flora or the beautiful lake with a fountain in it, if I was I would be watching David Attenborough on BBC, but no the US networks just love a wide shot of all the crap that is surrounding the course, what's wrong with that you say, well how about the fact that I want to watch the golf and I don't care who, but surely someone, somewhere is playing a shot that is worthy of viewing, wether they're in contention or not!!

It really pains Sportsmouth to have to put up with this shit on top of the fact that the USPGA is seemingly the only place to play these days, I wish more players would play in Europe and I tip my hat to players like Els, Scott, and a few notable other who regularly interupt their US schedules to head to Europe. Not only are the courses many and varied but the commentary and coverage is superior in my view!

Come ESPN or whoever it is, be daring show us what we want to see or fuck off and hand the rights over to someone who will!!


cheerio

A long time!!!

Well, its been along time between posts & quite alot of stuff has gone down, rugby league players getting shot at in Kings Cross (of all the places!), Super 14 rugby is nearly done (yet winter is not yet upon us!), cricketers who can't make the Test or One-day squads sign on to play under 10's rules (twenty overs per team, wonder if they have to retire at 25?!) for squillions and the first golf major has been won, not by Tiger Woods!!

Our motorcycle world champion is not as hot as he was last year (but it's early in) and another motorcycle champ belies pain to race (http://www.smh.com.au/news/motorsport/reed-breaks-shoulder-vomits-blood-races/2008/04/14/1208025091334.html) The autumn racing carnival is nearly in full swing, with a big one this coming weekend!

More importantly, sportsmouth had to relinquish the coveted Plaid Jacket that is the reward for winning the Carl Spackler Invitational (http://spacklergolf.webng.com/index.html) and been forced to withdraw from the coming rounds of indoor cricket with dodgy knees!!!

So, I'll return soon with a spray worthy of a trophy!

Matt Henjak

Knob!

I could probably leave it there, what else needs to be said about this moron, a young man with considerable rugby talent who is more inclined to show his drinking prowess and the rank stupidity that follows!!

For the life of me I can't understand how he thinks "rugby has abandoned me" as I don't recall anyone from rugby HQ saying, "hey Matt, drink 10 schooners then runover there and do something totally fucking stupid or we'll drop you"!!

Heed this advice young Matt, take a good long look at the shit you've done and the person you are and if you're happy with what you see, then you've learnt nothing!

India v Aust

Another summer of test cricket has finished, although this one a little spicier then most with all the racism thing!

The Wash Up

Aust. just out of the blocks a little better, but isn't that always the case, touring teams to Aust. never seem to learn from either their own previuos mistakes or those of other touring teams, not picking Sehwag from the first test probably the biggest, only the most aggressive opening batsmen we'll probably ever see left out of a team for a guy who was lucky to move the score board and another who was lucky to make double figures!!

As i've said before, regardless of umpiring decisions, India should've been able to bat out the required time in Sydney. Perth proved me and every other Aust. wrong, although the pitch was hardly like the one played on in the T20 game vs. NZ. The Indian bowlers however bowled beautifully and deserved to take the game, this was probably helped a little by the Aust. selectors who opted for all out pace, with little consideration taken to the other conditions on offer i.e swing! One of the most succesfull Aust. bowlers at the WACA was Terry Alderman who was not express pace but used the Freo doctor better then any other bowler i've seen bowl at the WACA, Ben Hilfenhaus would have been handy i would've thought, especially since the pitch in use was not part of the same square used in the aforementioned T20 game!

Life Without Gilly

Obviously the best keeper/batsmen ever, but he was also the vice captain who know doubt had a bit to do with the decision making, so he'll be missed greatly although his likely replacement (Brad Haddin) is an exceptional keeper who has played one-dayers for Aust. as a batsman (as did Gilly) so he should do well, he's better keeper then Gilly, and has kept alot to Brett Lee, Stuart Clarke and Stuart MacGill, so he knows what he's in for.

Thanks for the entertainment Gilly. I saw him smash a hundred at the SCG a few years back, brilliant!!

The Great

I've had the pleasure to see Tendulkar bat a few times, he is the best batsman of his generation, not as flamboyant as Lara, but just fantastic to watch and always takes the bowling on especially the spinners.

Thanks Sachin, I saw him take us apart at the SCG last time they were here, masterful!

The rest of the Indian team played well, but they'll have possible their whole middle order of Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly & Laxman as well as captain Kumble gone from the game next time they tour, so they've got big shoes to fill, the highest runscorer ever (soon) two others who average about 50 and a bowler with 600+ wickets!! Goodluck, even a country with over 1 billion people will struggle to replace those guys!

I don't plan to cover anything that happens in T20 matches, because it's shit! The onedayers maybe if something dramatic happens!

Cheerio